Glass-drawing furnace.



R. H. BOLIN.

GLASS DRAWING FURNACE.

APPLICATION man JUNE 2. 190e.

5 SHEETS-sum1.

R. H. BOLIN.

GLASS DRAWING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED IuNIz, 1908.

1,163,583, Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

R. H. BOLIN.

GLASS DRAWING FURNACE.

APPHcATmN FILED JUNEZA 190e.

Ll. Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

. 1jr.. 118 .l 77 35:

la I 77 36 1P@ 76* 37 92 v 119 i 1151: 90 76p WW1/wwe@ R. H. BOLIN.

GLASS DRAWING FURNACE.

APPLICATION FILED :uns 2. 190s.

lamented Dee. 7, 1915.

l 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

R. H. BOLIN.

GLASS DRAWING FURNACE.

`PPLIcATIoN FILED IuNE 2. 190e.

Ll. Patented Dec. 7, 1915.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

12.9 128 127 134 135 WMI/mow@ [34 k vente@ "I @i4/M i En srArEs rA-EICHAED H. BoLIN, 0E KANE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASsIeNoE', EY MESNEASSIGNMENTS, To coNsoLIDATED MACHINE COMPANY, oE BRADFORD, PENNSYLVANIA,A corro` EA'rIoN oE DELAWARE.

GLASS-DRAWING FURNACE.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. v, Iers.'

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RICHARD H. BoLIN, acitizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at Kane, in the county ofMcKean and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Glass-Drawing Furnaces, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to the art of what is known as machine glassdrawing and has for its principal objects to eliminate .as faraspossible the use of manual labor, to improve the quality of thearticle produced, and to increase the capacity of manufacture byproducing larger articles at each drawing operation than, to theknowledge of the applicant, has hitherto been practical.

In order to more fully describe my said invention, reference will be hadto the ac companying drawings which show a form of apparatus embodyingmy invention for carrying out my improved process, and wherein,

Figure 1, is a fragmentary sectional view,

partly in elevation, of said apparatus showing the same in the act ofdrawing'a glass cylinder; Fig. 2, a top plan view, partly in section, ofthe glass tank with some of the accessories shown in Fig. 1 removed;Fig. 3, a fragmentary front elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2; Fig.4, a detail perspective view of the lever mechanism for supporting andhoisting the covers for the drawing rings; Fig. 5, a detail top planview of the cable equalizing mechanism for the drawing crane; Fig. 6, adetail perspective view of one of the drawing rings, Fig. 7, a verticalcentral section partly in side elevation of the blower carriage andconnected parts; Fig. 8, an end elevation partly in section of the partsshown in Fig. 7; Fig. 9, a detail perspective view of the blowpipesupporting bracket showing a portion of a blowpipe thereon slid forwardout ofits normal operative position; Fig. 10, a top plan view of thehoisting drums of the drawing mechanism; and Fig. 11, a vertical sectionthereof partly in elevation.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, 1 represents a glass tankcontaining molten glass 2, the heat to which may be supplied throughburners 3 in the usual or any desired way. Except as to that portion ofthe tank where the drawing takes place, this tank may be of any desiredconstruction; but as to said glass drawing portion, it is of novelconstruction especially adapted to the carrying out of my improvedprocess. A

In carrying out this part of my invention, I provide the tank, in thecase shown, with ,a nose 4.- coustructed by building out from the mainside walls of the tank, wing walls 5, which are joined at their outeredges by a wall 6 built on the arc of a circle, the said nose,

being provided with a dome-like curved top 7 in which are made a seriesof substantially horse shoe shaped openingsB of any desired number. Inthe nose of the tank are a series of more or less dat arches 9, ofrefractory material, arranged beneath the respective openings 8, andeach of these arches is-itself provided with a central opening 10passing through it. These arches 9 are supported at their outer endsupon the front wall 6 of the tank and at their inner ends each upon aseparate pier 11 of a series of refractory piers rising from the bottomof the tank to a point above the normal level of the glass 2 therein.These piers 11 are braced by arches 12 extending from pier to pier andby arches 13 extending from the end piers to the side walls of the tank.The space above the openings 10 in the arches 9 is walled in back andsides by walls 14 of a suitable refractory material extending from saidarches up to the tank top. Each of the arches 9 is cut away to form asubstantially iat upper face 15, and the front wall 6 of thetank nose iscut away as at 16 in front of each of said arches down to a line withthe liat'upper faces of said arches.

Extending through the front wall 6 of the tank nose are a plurality ofopenings 17, which are provided for the purpose of commingling the glassas hereinafter described. These openings remain normally closed by theinsertion therein of blocks of refractory material 18.

Mounted for vertical movement in each of the openings 10, is a ring 19of refractory material, the outside diameter of which is slightlysmaller than the diameter of said openings and concentric therewith soas to closely fit the inner edge of said openings and yet to be free tomove up and down therein. These rings may be supported for such movementin a variety of ways. In the levers 24 may be operated by accompanyingdrawings, the larrangement which I have shown for this purpose consistsin suspending the rings from cables 20 attached through rings 21 andlinks 22 to refractory lugs 23 on the rings, and secured to sectorlevers 24 fulcrumed as at 25 in suitable framcs. The frame work forsupporting the levers may consist of horizontal I beams 26 supported attheir outer ends upon vertical I beams 27 and at their inner ends bybeing bolted or otherwise made fast to a bracket 28 secured to a crossframe consisting of I beams 29 extending across the top of the tank andsupported at each end upon uprights 30, at the sides of the tank. Thesecuring to their power arms cables 31 which are adapted to wind upondrums 32 connected by shaft 33 and provided with a lever 34 for rotatingthe same. The ring 19 may be held in the desired position by means ofthe ratchet 33 on the shaft 33 and pawl 332 mounted on the stationaryframe work. By this arrangement of the two sector levers, each ring maybe moved uniformly and the ring thus lowered evenly into the glass,which is important. The provision of refractory lugs integral with therings 19 instead of the use of iron where the same may come in contactwith the molten glass is also important, since the fusing of iron in themolten glass interferes decidedly with the drawing.

For each ofthe rings 19, I provide a removable cover plate 35 ofrefractory material, each of which, in the case shown, is suspended by acable or rod 36 secured at one end through link and ring connection37--38 to lugs 39 on the upper face of the cover, and at its other endto a frame 40 loosely secured to the yoke of a U-shaped frame 41 thearms of which are made fast to a shaft 42 mounted to turn in uprights 43made fast to the I beams 26.

The cover 35 is counterbalanced by a weight 44, secured to one end of alever 45.

fulcrumed on a shaft il-Gmountcd in the upper ends of the uprights 43,the other end of said lever being connected through links 47 and 48 tothe yokel of the frame 41. By thus counter-balancing the plate 35. verylittle power is required to raise it. For the purpose of operating thismechanism to raise and lower the covers I make fast to the shaft 42 acrank arm 49 and connect this by a rod 50 to a bell crank lever 51fulcrumed in a bracket 52 secured to one of the uprights 27. For thepurpose of operating the bell crank levers 51. I may attach to each arod 53 with a handle 54. By means of this arrangement the covers 35 maybe easily lifted from the rings, and in rising from the rings the coverstravel back out of the Way of the drawing mechanism, so as not tointerfere with the drawing of the cylinder.

In the form of the apparatus shown, there is located just to one side ofeach of the glass drawing openings inthe tank nose a crane consistingeach of a preferably tubular upright 55 revolubly mounted at its lowerend in a suitable bearing 56 and provided with a boom 57 and a platform58, these being braced respectively by stay rods 59 and 60. The upright55 may be provided with a pivoted latch 55 and the bearing 56 witha hole552 adapted to receive said latch and thus lock the crane againstrotation during the drawing.

.The boom 57 consists of two parallel I beams made fast at one end tothe upright 55 and carries a carriage 61 adjustable longitudinally ofsaid boom by means of a screw 62 passing through a bracket 63 fast onthe boom and a screw threaded bracket 64 fast on the carriage, saidscrew being held fast against lateral movement by collars 65 and 66 onopposite sides of bracket 63. On this carriage, suitably mounted forrotation, are four pulleys 67, GS, G9 and 70, the first two beingarranged to rotate in a plane longitudinally parallel to said boom andthe last two in a plane transverse to said boom, as shown. These are theequalizing pulleys for a supporting cable 71 (see 'F ig. 1), whichpasses from one drum 72 of a hoisting mechanism 73 mounted on platform58 over pulley (S7, down under one pulley 74 on a .carriage 75 whichcarries the blowing mechanism, up and over pulleys 69 and 70, down underthe other pulley 74 on carriage 75, up over pulley 68 and thence back tothe other drum 72 of the hoisting mechanism, thus supporting saidmechanism freely suspended. This cable equalizing mechanism is veryimportant for preventing any side movement or tilting of the carriage 75which would have a tendency to throw the blowpipe out of alinement. Itis very important that the blowpipe ascend fro the glass in a straightline.

The carriage carrying the blowing mechanism proper is shown most clearlyin Figs. 7 and S, and comprises. among other parts, two substantiallyparallel brackets 76 having cross pieces 77 and 7S adapted to sup portplatforms 79 and S0 respectively. In the upper ends of the brackets 76is mounted a shaft S1 and on this shaft outside of the brackets areloosely mounted the pulleys 74, the latter being held from lateralmovement on shaft S1 by rings 32 andthe upper ends of the brackets 76.

'lhe air blast is delivered to the blowpipe from a small rotary blowerS3 n'lounted on platform T9 and directly connected to an electric motorSrl also mounted on said platform. The. outlet from said blower connectsthrough a pipe elbow 35 to an inlet S6 oi' a pipe connection 87 securedto the lower side of the platform 79. The pipe a hollow extension orsleeve 88, into which litsv a tube 89. The tube 89 is adapted to slidein the sleeve 88, this movement being limited by a` pin 90 onsaid tubeworking in a slot 91 in said sleeve. .The tube 89 is movable in saidsleeve 88 under tension of a coil spring 921held between the coupling 87and a head 93 on the end of the tube 89. The-coupling 87 is providedwith another outlet through hollow extension 94 into which lits atubular valve 95 open at its end which fits into the extension 94 andclosed at its opposite end. This valve is provided with a port 96,which, by rotating thevalve 95, may be brought into alinement with port97 in the extension 94, thus permitting a portion of the air from saidblower to escape through said port. Longitudinal movement of the valve95 is prevented by pin 98 thereon working in a slot 99 in the sleeve 94.Obviously by varying the degree with which the port 96 and 97 registerwith each other, the outflow of air therethrough' may be varied. Novariation of the air outlet through said valve takes place during thedrawing. The valve is set when the apparatus'is installed and is notchanged at all unless this is desired.

A blast of air is delivered against the motor commutator during theoperation' of the blower through a small pipe 100 leading from theconnection 87 to a point near the motor commntator as shown. This isquite important inasmuch as the motor is subject to great heat duringthe drawing operation.

Secured to a plate 101 on the lower side of the platform 80 is a bracket102 having an opening 103 through its top to admit the head 93 of thetube 89, and having side wings 104 with in'turned ends 105. Resting onthese inturned. ends and bolted securely to the wings 104 are. twoparallel arms 106 projecting out in front of the bracket 102 andterminating at said projecting ends at the uptnrned portions 107. Theends of said arms 106 within the wings 104 are turned inward as at 108.These arms 106 receive and support the blowpipe 109, the stem o'f thelatter passing down between said arms and its head 110 resting thereon,as shown most clearly in Fig. 9, where the blowpipe is shown slidforward of its normal position. In its normal operative position theblowpipe rests between the wings 104 with the tapered head 93 of thecoupling 89 projecting into the tapered opening 111 in the head of theblowpipe. The blowpipe is steadied against lateral movement by thedepending arm 112 provided at one end with two fingers 113 between whichthe stem of the blowpipe fits. A spring clip 114 on said arm alsoengages the stem of the blowpipe and further prevents lateral movementthereof in `its support during the drawing operation. The upper end ofthe arm 112 terminates in a yoke 115, the side members of which' arebolted to the wings 104 of the bracket 102. v

As a protection against the intense heat arising from thel glassin thetank during the drawing operation the blower motor 84 is surrounded -bya metal casing 116 which is .preferably lined on'the inside withasbestos sheeting 1.17, while around the base of the motor is lacedasbestos packing 118. An additiona lower portion of thecarriage andextends around the blower 83. This latter Casin is also lined withasbestos-sheeting 120 and in itsbottom is a thick layer of asbestos 121.A tube 122 surrounds the spring 92 so that the packing 121 may beextended up as high as desired.

Thehoisting'mechanism for raising and lowering the blowpipe carriage isshown in detail in Figs. 10 and 11 where 123 represents a low speedshunt wound motor, the,

armature shaft of which is direct connected to a worm 124 which mesheswith a worm gear 125 rotatable on a main driving shaft 126. The gear 125is made fast by means of a sleeve 127 to one of the clutch members 128of a magnetic clutch, the said clutch member being mounted to rotaterelatively to the shaft 126, but held against latmetal casing 119inclose's the eral movement thereon, and constituting what is known as afixed clutch member.

. The other clutch member 129 is fixed upon the shaft 126 to rotatetherewith, but is slidable longitudinally thereon. Current to operatethe clutch is led into and out of the same by means of brushes 130,` 131engaging fast on a .shaft 137 journaled in suitable bearings 138.Mounted fast on a shaft 137 outside of bearings 138 are the two cabledrums 72, 72, consisting each of a narrow sleeve on each side of whichis a flange or shield 140, the Space between said shields beingsubstantially equal to the thickness of the cable.

On the end of the main driving shaft 126 opposite the magnetic clutch iskeyed a pinion 141 which meshes with a gear 142 on the armature shaft ofa small high speed motor 143.

144 represents a housing inclosing the lgears 125, and 136.

On one end of the drum shaft 137 is mounted a sprocket wheel 145 whichis geared through sprocket chains 146 to a sprocket 147 which drivesthecontact arm of arheostat 148 which automatically controls the Speed ofthe blower motor as hereinafter more fully described. I

The crane may be rotated by gearlng the upright 55 though gears 150 toan electrlc motor 149, or if deslred the saidl crane may b e rotated byhand or in any desired way.

` One way of performing my lmproved process, and the operation of theapparatus herein shown and employed in carrylng out said process is asfollows :-`-It isassumed that the crane carrying the blowing mechanismis turned to a position substantially 180 from that shown in Fig. 1, andthat the cover 35 is resting upon the top of ring 19, which latter isdrawn up to the dotted l1ne position shown in Fig. 1, out of the moltenglass. An attendant then pulls down on rod 53, which will cause .cover35 to rise and shift back to the position shown in Fig. 1. The pawl 322isthen released from its ratchet 32 (see Figs. 2 and 3) and an attendantby means of lever 34 gradually lowers ring 19 into the glasssubstantially to the position shown in solid lines in Fig. 1. Theblowpipe having its bait end heated is then slipped into the Jaws 107and pushed back until its stem is engaged by the spring clip 114, anduntil the nozzle 93 engages the opening in the upper end of theblowpipe. The crane motor 149 is started up in a direction to swing thecrane to the position shown in Fig. 1 with the blowpipe directly overthe center of ring 19. This position moy be determined each time by thelatch 55 dropping into the opening 552, thus locking the crane inposition. The blower carriage and bait are then lowered until the lowerend of the bait is submerged,'and during the descent the blower motor 84is started up. B v now starting motor 123 the blowpipe will be slowlydrawn upward from the glass. During the formation of the cap of thecylinder and until the cylinder is about onefourth drawn the operator atthe switchboard regulates the speed of the -blower motor andtherethrough the blast to the cylinder, and also regulates the speed ofthe hoisting motor. The speed of the blower carria ge upward will,however, be automatically accelerated by the hoisting cable winding uponitself on the drums 72 since each convolution of the cable increases thediameter of the surface upon which the cable is wound.

The rotation of the shaft of the cable drums, imparts through sprocketgearing 145, 146 and 147, rotation to the contact arm of rheostat 148,bringing this arm into engagement with the first contact point of theresistances at about the time that the cap is formed. Then as theblowpipe is gradually drawn upward, the contact of rheostat 148gradually cuts out resistance from the circuit of blower motor 84,automatically causing said motor to gradually accelerate its speed andthereby gradually increasing the air blast delivered to the cylinder.

.When the cylinder is drawn to the desired length, it is cut oi-i nearits lower end in any desired way. The latch 55 is then raised and by thecrane swung around by the motor 149, or, if desired manually, ,with thecylinder hanging from the blowpipe. The cylinder being thus clear of thedrawing opening in the tank, the lowering motor is again started and thecylinder lowered. At'

the same time that it is thus being lowered, it is pushed out to ahorizontal position, the blowpipe sliding forward on the arms 106, butbeing prevented from slipping ofi' said arms by their upturned ends. Theblowpipe, still attached to the cylinder, is then removed from itssupporting bracket and the cylinder placed in proper positionfor cappingoff which latter may be done in an desired way.

mmediately after the cylinder is swung clear of the drawing opening inthe tank, an attendant by operating lever 34 raises ring 19, say to thedotted line position shown in Fig. 1, and then lowers cap 35 to coversaid ring. He then removes the cover 18 from an adjacent opening 17 andby means of a long rod inserted therethrough commingles the glass in thezone in which the drawing took place. which glass has become more orless cooled in the drawing, with the more highly heated surroundingglass as for eX- aniple by pushing the cooled glass from the drawingzone into the surrounding glass. The glass in the drawing zone will thenvery quickly become of uniform temperature with the rest of the glass inthe tank. As soon as the attendant has finished this operation ofcommingling the glass, he closes the opening '1T so as to allow thereheating to take place as quickly and as eii'ectively as possible.

After the glass in the drawing Zone has become properly heated, the ring19 mayA again be lowered thereinto and another cylinder drawn as hereinabove described. By lowering the ring 19 through the opening in the areh9, for example, as described, I create a drawing zone in the main bodyof the glass in the tank which is more or less shut off from thesurrounding heat in the tank. This zone. however, in the present case isonly temporary. since at the end of each drawing. the zone is merged asit were into the surrounding glass by the raising of the ring 19 and theconnningling of the chilled glass with that surroumling it. In thecreation and the abolition of this zone, I do not, however, wish toconfine my invention specifieally to raising and lowering a ring, suchas 19, except where this is specifically pointed out in the claims.

I also do not wish to be understood as confining my invention to a ringof the specific form shown, since this may be a body of any desiredshape; and many other changes and modifications may be made in my saidinvention without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim isz* 1. Glass working apparatus, comprising a glass tankhaving a plurality of refractory piers therein, refractory archesforming bridges above the glass level in said tank and extendingr fromsaid piers to the walls of the tank, said arches being each providedwith a glass drawing opening therethrough, and a wall built up from eachof said arches around said opening therein to the tank top.

:2. (Hass working apparatus comprising a glass tank having a pluralityof refractory piers therein, refractory arches extending from betweensaid piers, and refractory arches above the glass level in said tank eX-tending from the said piers to the wall of the tank, each of the lastnalned arches being provided with a glass drawing opening therethrough.

3. A glass melting tank having an opening through its top or crown, afixed Hat top stone located below and within the plane of said openingin the top or crown,

and side and back walls or shades resting on said top stone andextending up to the top or crown, the said fiat top stone having adrawing opening through same.

4. A glass melting tank having an arched top or crown, an openingthrough said top adjacent a wall of the tank, a ixed flat top stonelocated below and in the vertical plane of said opening, and side andback shades extending from the top stone to the arched top.

5. A glass melting tank having an arched top or crown, an openingthrough said top adjacent a wall of the tank, a pier within the tank ina plane at the rear of said open ing in the top, a fixed fiat top stoneresting on said pier, and side and back shades extending from the topstone to the arched top.

In testimony. whereof I affix signature in presence of two witnesses.

R. P. YERDoN, AUGUST SIZER.

